Visited this hotel mid April.If you like kareoke england shirts and women with tatoos this is your place.The hotel looks like a multi storey car park with balconys.The staff were rude and lazy ,if they get any slower they will stop.The food was bland and repetitive.Andes and the beach grill were ok for lunch,barringtons food was good but the atmosphere was dreadful.It was so dark you couldnt actually read the menus.The maitre D was more like a bouncer and was very intimidating.The worst thing about this hotel was what in the evening the only bar open was in the hotel lobby which was a bit like drinking in a airport lounge oh and it stank of disenfectant/dirty mops.
The plus points were the beach which was excellent and the rooms were clean.Sure this is a 3 star hotel and you get what you pay for but their are far better options in antigua try dickenson bay and the rex halcolyn far nicer and next to 2 fabulous restaraunts the cocunut grove and the beach
The royal antiguan is totally isolated there is nothing around for miles and cabs are unbelievably expensive Do not book this hotel

Stayed here mid April for my brothers wedding. The location was very nice overlooking the lagoon and all went well. They had photos taken around the lagoon gardens and then onto the beach. The best wedding photos I have seen. The buffet food in the lagoon cafe was o.k. but not a vast selection to choose from so we ate at Andes for lunch and occasional dinner in the evening. Barringtons restaurant upstairs did not look brilliant for the Virgin meeting on the first day but, in the evening it was really nice, candles and tablecloths. I had lobster (extra charge over the $30 dollar limit) twice and the food was very good. There was some confusion over the Frequent Virgin free meal for 2 in Barringtons as it is free up to $30. We just paid the extra to save any trouble. There is a set $30 menu or you can choose from a further menu. The staff were also very attentive in the bars and restaurants. We have a 10 month old son and he was very well catered for. The only problem we had was food for him around 6pm as the restaurants were not open. We took jars of food just in case. You can get nappies etc in the supermarket in St Johns just in case you need them. The hotel rooms are large. We had a bay view room which overlooked the lagoon. My brother was in an Ocean view room which had great views over the lagoon and beach. The standard rooms are called the goat view rooms, need I say more. The beach was great. Gently shelves but was a bit cold for the caribbean sea! There is a food and drink bar serving burgers etc until 4pm. A walk up the fort is worthwhile for the views aswell. The only downfall on our last day was Check in and Chill Out. They were half an hour late (arrived 1pm) and it took us 1 hour 15 mins to check in. We paid an extra $20 to keep our room so that was a waste time due to the length of time it took. We just had enough time to eat lunch before we were collected to go to the airport. The hotel is not good looking! the reception lady was a little sullen but overall we had a great time, it's your typical 3 star hotel.

We recently returned from a 14 night stay and wedding at the Royal Antiguan. We were accompanied by 9 family and friends who came for our wedding..... every single member of the party thouroughly enjoyed the stay. The hotel is set on an amazing beach and within some fantastic gardens. The rooms were large and clean. housekeeping was very good. The earlier comment about clean towels not being returned to rooms until the afternoon was true, it was annoying. Most staff were friendly and helpful (receptionists weren't great) and the food was out of this world! Our wedding was lovely, the ceremony beautiful. Overal this is a great place to stay and i highly reccomend it..... most of the complaints i have read here are inacurrate in my experience, the only grumble i agree with is that the hotel looks a little dated (who cares!).
P.S. Taxis weren't that expensive, we found a driver that was very reasonable and good to his word, ask for Singh at the front of the hotel!

My husband and I just returned on Saturday from a week at the Royal Antiguan. We stayed in a bayview room and had a wonderful time. Sure, some spots were in need of touching up but not enough to justify some of the former comments posted here. Our only complaint was that the pool was too deep (started at 5ft 1in directly to 7ft 1in) & closed down at 6 pm. But the beach made up for everything. We went to the 8th floor and the view was gorgeous. We toured the whole island by rental car for the week and all of the resorts are in remote spots, not just this one. For the price we paid. I would say it was well worth the money. The beautiful beaches, good food and friendly people made for another happy vacation to remember! Don't go by some of the bad reviews, apparently these individuals are looking for perfection and are letting a good time pass them by......